1 Swallow

[andrew1957]

When will idiots like you realise Blackman is a winger and not a striker? At Sheffield United he was mainly used as a winger. He scored a few because he was their main penalty taker. BM stitched the poor bloke up by making him a striker here, and when we desperately needed goals. NA is trying to coach him into being a holding striker, but more out of having a lack of options than anything else. (not so much now Pog has stayed, hence him being used on the right of a front three, just behind the striker)

The guy is better out wide and did a decent job against Leeds and did OK today, breaking with pace and scoring! It's the uneducated twerps like you that put the guy under mountainous pressure, and unfairly so. why not try backing the lad? Push him on and give him some confidence, not oxf*rd yourself silly as soon as he does something wrong!

I think that this is fairly accurate except that we don't play wingers as such under Adkins but three interchangeable front payers - two wide and one more central.

The problem for him is that the club inferred he was being brought in as a central striker, whereas Adkins clearly sees him as a support (wide forward) in a 4-3-3. And I think he has done ok in that role the times I have seen him. Some of ignorant fans are demanding he score every other game when this is a tall order for a wider forward (McCleary and HRK are yet to score this season in the same role). It does not help him much either when a lot on here could not even tell him from HRK in the Leeds game and some seemed to think he was central and HRK wide! Give the guy a chance folks.

The only thing I don't fully understand is why he is being picked ahead of McCleary - who showed again yesterday that he is the far superior player in the wider forward role.

[AirRaidSiren]

Nick Blackman's done his best every time I've seen him play.

He's never been particularly awful, not in the context of performances his teammates have turned in. Remember he moved up two levels last season.

Reading fans boo him because they're idiots (I say this with all sincerity, Reading fans really are idiots)

Blackman scores and you all expect him to leap in the crowd and give you a hug? Jeeesus, guy's had tonnes of pointless abuse and I thought his celebration was totally justified. If anything he did well no to do anything more extravagant than that. If you give it out to one of our own players then don't be surprised to get it back.

Spot on.

He has the two times I've seen him play, been jeered at both times for no reason at all. I hope he scores 12+ this season and gives a two fingered salute to those that jeered him.

[P!ssed Off]

Nick Blackman's done his best every time I've seen him play.

He's never been particularly awful, not in the context of performances his teammates have turned in. Remember he moved up two levels last season.

Reading fans boo him because they're idiots (I say this with all sincerity, Reading fans really are idiots)

Blackman scores and you all expect him to leap in the crowd and give you a hug? Jeeesus, guy's had tonnes of pointless abuse and I thought his celebration was totally justified. If anything he did well no to do anything more extravagant than that. If you give it out to one of our own players then don't be surprised to get it back.

Spot on.

He has the two times I've seen him play, been jeered at both times for no reason at all. I hope he scores 12+ this season and gives a two fingered salute to those that jeered him.

He's played 18 times for us, and you've only seen him play twice.
Not sure you should be commenting tbh.

[winchester_royal]

Nick Blackman's done his best every time I've seen him play.

He's never been particularly awful, not in the context of performances his teammates have turned in. Remember he moved up two levels last season.

Reading fans boo him because they're idiots (I say this with all sincerity, Reading fans really are idiots)

Blackman scores and you all expect him to leap in the crowd and give you a hug? Jeeesus, guy's had tonnes of pointless abuse and I thought his celebration was totally justified. If anything he did well no to do anything more extravagant than that. If you give it out to one of our own players then don't be surprised to get it back.

Bang on.

[AirRaidSiren]

Nick Blackman's done his best every time I've seen him play.

He's never been particularly awful, not in the context of performances his teammates have turned in. Remember he moved up two levels last season.

Reading fans boo him because they're idiots (I say this with all sincerity, Reading fans really are idiots)

Blackman scores and you all expect him to leap in the crowd and give you a hug? Jeeesus, guy's had tonnes of pointless abuse and I thought his celebration was totally justified. If anything he did well no to do anything more extravagant than that. If you give it out to one of our own players then don't be surprised to get it back.

Spot on.

He has the two times I've seen him play, been jeered at both times for no reason at all. I hope he scores 12+ this season and gives a two fingered salute to those that jeered him.

He's played 18 times for us, and you've only seen him play twice.
Not sure you should be commenting tbh.

Obviously you've not read my post properly then?

[MeMeMe]

You? Calling me out? This means war puny nobody.

IM AN INTERNET BEHEMOTH DAMN YOU!

Yeah, come on, i'm calling you out of your closet

[Royal Prince]

Perhaps Blackman is best viewed as a microcosm of the team in general; out of his depth in the Prem, but potential to succeed at this level, slow and inconsistent start to the season, with the fans naturally on his back, but has sinced silenced a few critics by getting the basics right and looking more reliable, only thing missing were goals but signs of improvement in the last game.

Fingers crossed both he and the team can kick on from what I think has been a decent start to the season.

[LoyalRoyal22]

Don't see the potential in Blackman.

[MeMeMe]

Don't see the potential in Blackman.

+1

[MmmMonsterMunch]

I admire your determination to keep this thread going.

[The Goat was fed]

I will never boo a Reading player for a lack of ability, only for a complete disrespect for the club or perceived lack of effort. The only player I have ever booed and actively "disliked" in the last 10 years is Danny Guthrie. He's winning everyone around with his performances this year, but the fact that he is the only player on record to "have a problem" with Brian McDermott, means I still think he's a bit of a knob.

All I will say to Blackman is this. Well done, despite what some idiots on here say, that was a well taken goal. It's not going to bother the goal of the month archives - but a decent finish. Not well done on the idiotic celebration. I can assure you that the sort of fans that traveled to Derby (dump) to watch a Reading team that has been painfully uninspiring are not the guys booing you - so "sticking it to them" is just foolish.

Here are a few other players that have scored for Reading. Paul Brayson, Robert Fleck, Nathan Tyson, Dean Morgan. You are not special. Score a hat-trick at the Mad Stad after you've been booed all game and then stick it to them. Better that, put together a run of form as if it was nothing.

[MeMeMe]

Nicely written... apart from the well taken goal bit

[ScepticalRoyal]

Don't see the potential in Blackman.

I see no potential in this team minus a few players. Top 6 would be dreaming in my opinion.

[windermere_royal]

Don't see the potential in Blackman.

I see no potential in this team minus a few players. Top 6 would be dreaming in my opinion.

who cares about your opinion after 5 posts SCEPTICALroyal

[Agent Balti]

I really don't think his reaction is anything new or nothing we've not seen before...and it could have been waaaay worse. He's just showing he's human and by actually being 'passive aggressive' the so called boo-boys have no recourse but to pick holes in the "one swallow" and "bad first touch" and "he scuffed it" remarks- so what?! He scored. As Platy says, he did what was required of him, what he requires of himself. If it's different to how you think you'd act in that situation, then that's obviously your opinion. I don't think he can be knocked or would be by Adkins for deliberately, some how, being provocative.

Sure, he's never going to be in the RFC Hall of Fame, but it's the 'fans' that are booing him that need to take a longer look at themselves than Blackman's "How'd you like me now?" non-celebration.

[Platypuss]

It wouldn't surprise me if he'd been given some bird prior to the goal.

[Nameless]

It wouldn't surprise me if he'd been given some bird prior to the goal.

Is that part of a new bonus scheme ? If so it worked !

What was Pog given ?

[Alexander Litvinenko]

It's odd that according to the posters there seem to be only two possible states of mind - you either love and support a player or you hate him and boo him.

I'd suggest that for the vast majority of people in the real world, the reality is somewhere in between. I'm happy to go on record and say that I'm not a great fan of Blackman and I don't think he's good enough for this level - but that doesn't mean to say I "hate" him or that I've ever boo'ed him. And I think that the same applies to about 95% of other supporters.

So why do posters on here insist that everyone is polarised at one extreme of either "love" or "hate"?

[One8Seven1]

When will idiots like you realise Blackman is a winger and not a striker? At Sheffield United he was mainly used as a winger. He scored a few because he was their main penalty taker. BM stitched the poor bloke up by making him a striker here, and when we desperately needed goals. NA is trying to coach him into being a holding striker, but more out of having a lack of options than anything else. (not so much now Pog has stayed, hence him being used on the right of a front three, just behind the striker)

The guy is better out wide and did a decent job against Leeds and did OK today, breaking with pace and scoring! It's the uneducated twerps like you that put the guy under mountainous pressure, and unfairly so. why not try backing the lad? Push him on and give him some confidence, not oxf*rd yourself silly as soon as he does something wrong!

I think that this is fairly accurate except that we don't play wingers as such under Adkins but three interchangeable front payers - two wide and one more central.

Indeed, yet no-one is booing Robson-Kanu, Drenthe or McCleary for not scoring when they play in the same roles either side of the striker.

[SPARTA]

When will idiots like you realise Blackman is a winger and not a striker? At Sheffield United he was mainly used as a winger. He scored a few because he was their main penalty taker. BM stitched the poor bloke up by making him a striker here, and when we desperately needed goals. NA is trying to coach him into being a holding striker, but more out of having a lack of options than anything else. (not so much now Pog has stayed, hence him being used on the right of a front three, just behind the striker)

The guy is better out wide and did a decent job against Leeds and did OK today, breaking with pace and scoring! It's the uneducated twerps like you that put the guy under mountainous pressure, and unfairly so. why not try backing the lad? Push him on and give him some confidence, not oxf*rd yourself silly as soon as he does something wrong!

I think that this is fairly accurate except that we don't play wingers as such under Adkins but three interchangeable front payers - two wide and one more central.

Indeed, yet no-one is booing Robson-Kanu, Drenthe or McCleary for not scoring when they play in the same roles either side of the striker.

That's the inconsistency of the typical moronic Reading fan. They just see him as a striker, no matter where he's picked to play.